Chris Lytle refutes claims he tapped out to Kevin Burns at The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale

No, Chris Lytle did not tap out during this past Saturday’s co-“Fight of the Night” bout with Kevin Burns at The Ultimate Fighter 9 Finale.

Soon after the June 20 fight aired live on Spike TV and Lytle was awarded a unanimous-decision win, MMA forums lit up with claims stating that veteran fighter tapped out late in the first round after Burns connected on a solid uppercut and took the fight to the mat.

However, on today’s edition of MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio), Lytle (27-17-5 MMA, 6-9 UFC) said he never tapped out in his previous 48 professional fights and that he didn’t tap out in this one either.

Approximately four minutes into the fight, after a timeout was given to Lytle because of an accidental groin kick, Burns connected on a crisp uppercut and forced the fight to the ground. Lytle was on his knees as Burns threw punches from above. A replay of the fight shows Lytle’s left arm moving in an up and down motion – at most twice – though it’s unclear if he was simply protecting his head, securing his balance, waving off the referee, signaling that he was taking illegal hits to the back of the head, or quite possibly even tapping out from the strikes.

Lytle hasn’t re-watched the fight, and initially he wasn’t even sure when the alleged tap took place. But he’s confident he never called an end to the fight.

“I never even thought anything about that,” Lytle said when asked about the possibility that he tapped out. “There was never a thought in mind ever to quit. I don’t really see why there would have been. But when you look at something like this, it’s pretty funny people would say something like that. I’m spinning around and trying to post up. I know [Burns] is in a position where he can throw punches. … These are people who’ve never been in a position to get punched, and they’re not understanding that you have to block.

“I’ve been around (MMA) for 11 years, and I’ve tapped in practice. You tap three times … on the ground to let [your partner] know.”

Additionally, Lytle said his track record should speak for itself. Of his 17 pro losses, 15 have come via decision and two via TKO due to cuts. Despite reaching the 50-fight plateau in his next bout, he’s never been submitted – not by Nick Diaz, Matt Hughes, Matt Serra, Karo Parisyan or any of the other countless ground fighters and submission experts he’s faced.

“I guarantee you that no matter how many fights I have, you’ll never see me tap out to strikes,” said Lytle. “I guarantee that. If I’m on bottom getting pounded, the referee is going to stop it before I do. I guarantee you that.”

Still, Lytle doesn’t mind answering questions about the fight, which netted Burns and him a $25,000 “Fight of the Night” bonus – two of a record six that were handed out that night (and one of four Lytle has won during his career). He’d rather nip the speculation in the bud rather than let is run rampant.

“I’d rather it be addressed than not addressed, you know what I mean?” he said of the tap-out speculation. “Come on. If he was drilling me, I could see them saying that. But it’s not like he was really punching me a lot right there anyway.”

MMAjunkie.com Radio broadcasts Monday-Friday at noon EST (9 a.m. PST) live from the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino’s Race & Sports Book. The show is hosted by Gorgeous George, MMAjunkie.com lead staff reporter John Morgan and producer Goze. For more information or to download past episodes, go to www.mmajunkie.com/radio.

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